1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of hypodermic syringes and needles. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a disposable hypodermic syringe and needle combination which has a retractable sheath to prevent accidents and abuse of the syringe and needle combination.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Disposable hypodermic syringes and needles have been known in the art for a long time.
Hypodermic syringes and needles are often used for administering medication to patients suffering from infectious diseases. Therefore, it has been considered of great importance in the art to avoid accidents where doctors, nurses, or other persons are wounded by used hypodermic needles. Presently, the safe disposal of used syringes and needles is considered a serious problem in the art, particularly in light of the recent spread of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and of the widespread abuse of syringes and needles by addicts for administering illicit drugs.
In order to solve or ameliorate the foregoing problems, the prior art has provided rigid, puncture resistant disposable plastic containers into which doctors or nurses are expected to deposit disposable hypodermic syringes and needles immediately after their use. The containers, filled with the discarded syringes and needles, are then sealed and eventually disposed of. The disposal is ideally conducted in a manner which does not permit access to unauthorized persons desiring to obtain the syringes and needles for illegal or like abusive purposes. In spite of the foregoing and other precautions, accidents still occur with used hypodermic needles, sometimes with tragic consequences. Moreover, discarded syringes and needles are still often misappropriated for illegal, or drug abuse, purposes.
The foregoing problems remain especially acute in connection with syringes and needles used by paramedics, because paramedics often are unable to carry the specialized plastic containers required for safe disposal. Moreover, personnel working in housekeeping duties in hospitals presently are still often exposed to improperly discarded hypodermic syringes and needles. The present invention is designed to solve or substantially ameliorate the above-described problems.